Place: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by cosmicevan:

3.05/5 rDev -28.1%

Had my first trip to new beer the other day. Certain things about new beer blew me away. The selection was pretty incredible, but the thing that irked me was the age on some of the rare stuff. I bought a few bottles that were all reasonably priced (especially for NYC), but when I got home and opened my bottle of Unibroue Terrible, it was TERRIBLE. The beer was completely flat and when I took a closer look at the bottle date I noticed that it was several years old. Unibroue claims that their brews should last up to a decade and even become port wine-like, but this was horrible, I had to spill it out.

Definitely worth the trek out to see this place, but it is dark and packed in and there are some ancient bottles there. The staff kept to themselves and no one approached me for help and they didn't seem to care if I was there or not. It almost seemed that I was in their way.

If there is something hard to find that you are looking for, this could be a great place to check out, but be wary that it may be really old. I'll probably be going around the block to the Whole Foods beer shop before returning to New Beer unless I'm looking for something specific that I can't find anywhere else. I really like the warm and welcoming vibe I've gotten in a lot of beer stores on LI. They might not have as great a selection, but the experience of having a staff passionate about beer and being able to trust the freshness of the beer on the shelves is pretty important to me.

Worth a stop as its around the corner from whole foods bowery. A large dark warehouse type space. Everything is out on shelfs, nothing is refrigerated. Don't expect service or to talk beer, but there is a wide selection and a few items that others don't carry. A wide import selection too.

No temp controller so i would generally avoid hoppy beers here unless I knew they were fresh.

One things I really like is you can buy a single of anything that sell, so I picked up quite a few 12oz that I wanted to try.

A lot of stock, so there seems to be a few things that linger here longer that other places, found a sixpoint 3bean (which turned out to be quite tasty).

Vibe: This isn't your typical Manhattan beer store as the back half functions as a warehouse and the front half features as a retail area. It's not uncommon to see kegs being wheeled out to the street for deliveries when you're shopping. The cashiers are located in a separate room behind a glass window and will manually add up your order.

Quality: This store has a large selection and doesn't have as much turnover as the nearby Whole Foods Bowery so sometimes you can find some aged beers without having to cellar them yourself.

Service: This is a family-run business so the staff is generally friendly. If you're there for a while, someone will usually ask you if you need any help. The only drawback about the store is that it's only open until 6 pm and closed on Sundays.

Selection: The store is a lot more organized than it was in past years and beers are mostly arranged on the shelves by country, most of which are available as singles. Just about all of the beers are stored warm, although there is a smaller cooler near the front opposite the cashiers and a small growler filler station. This store has hundreds of different beers and probably has the largest selection in New York City.

Value: Beer prices are very reasonable and slightly cheaper compared to other stores in the area such as Whole Foods and Top Hops.

Essentially a warehouse/distribution center that also has a massive selection of bottles and cans.

Much of what has been said here is accurate. The selection is pretty incredible, from domestic craft to international macros and micros. The issue is freshness and storage conditions. The bottles are simply sitting out on shelves in a big warehouse. Definitely check your bottle dates on your IPAs and anything else you want fresh. But for your heartier styles this can be a true diamond in the rough.

I've never needed any service other than checking out, so I can't speak to that.

Overall, if you know what to look for, you can find great deals at this store, just don't go in blind.